1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of interior and architectural lighting and more specifically concerns a hot aimable lamp and trim assembly with tilt memory for adjustable recessed light fixtures.
2 . State of the Prior Art
Recessed lighting is widely used for residential and commercial applications. Recessed light fixtures are installed in hollow spaces concealed by architectural panels such as ceilings, walls or floors, with only an aperture and a surrounding ornamental trim visible from the outside. The recessed fixture normally has a concealed sheet metal housing connected to a source of electrical power. The metal housing prevents contact of the hot light source with nearby flammable material. The housing has an aperture aligned with a cutout in the architectural panel, and a decorative trim covers the edge of the cutout to give a finished look to the installation.
Architectural recessed light fixtures fall into three broad categories: down lights, which typically direct the light output straight down from a ceiling; wall wash lights, which graze an architectural surface with light; and adjustable accent lights which aim a directional light at an area or object not directly underlying the fixture, such as an artwork on display or a furniture grouping.
Adjustable accent lights include a mechanism for aiming the light beam after the fixture has been installed, preferably while the fixture is turned on so that the effect of the lighting adjustment is immediately evident. This capability is known as hot aiming and is desirable because it allows adjustment without having to touch the hot lamp element.
Adjustable accent lights have commonly used halogen light sources. Halogen lamps are incandescent lamps with a tungsten filament sealed in a compact transparent envelope filled with an inert gas, plus a small amount of halogen such as iodine or bromine. Halogen lamps are small and can be used effectively with compact light reflector or lens systems for architectural lighting.
A trend towards more energy efficient lighting has brought about growing interest in metal halide lamps for architectural lighting. Metal halide lamps produce light by means of an electric arc between tungsten electrodes housed inside a translucent or transparent fused quartz or fused alumina tube. Compared with halogen lamps, metal halide lamps have higher luminous efficacy because more output is visible light as opposed to heat, and they also produce a greater amount of light output per watt of electricity input. Metal halide lamps also have much longer life spans than halogen lamps. On the other hand, metal halide lamps require a warm up period as long as two to five minutes, and when turned off require a cooling period of five to ten minutes before the arc can be relit.
Until not long ago metal halide lamps were mainly used in industrial applications where their lower cost of operation through reduced energy consumption and infrequent relamping requirements outweighed the warm up and cooling period requirements. In such applications the lights are turned on and off infrequently, often only once a day at opening and closing time. However, recent improvements in metal halide lamps have alleviated their former disadvantages making them more suitable for architectural lighting applications.
Lamps in recessed fixtures require occasional replacement. In larger fixtures this can be accomplished by reaching through the aperture of the fixture to remove the spent element and installing a fresh one. In compact recessed fixtures the aperture is too small to allow such access and fixtures have been developed with lamp holder assemblies which can be partially or entirely extracted through the trim aperture for access to the lamp element. In compact adjustable accent lights this requires that the lamp aiming mechanism be brought from an inclined position to an upright vertical position because the tilted mechanism will not pass through the small aperture. To facilitate lamp replacement, mechanical tilt memories have been developed which automatically return the aiming mechanism to its initial tilted condition after the lamp holder assembly is replaced into the fixture housing.
Compact recessed lights, requiring small cutouts in the architectural panel and having small trim apertures, are desirable and esthetically attractive. Yet the design of compact adjustable accent lights is challenging because there is little room for the hot aiming and tilt memory mechanisms, and even more so for metal halide lamps because these lamps are relatively large compared to halogen lamps and take up more space in the lamp assembly.
An example of an adjustable hot aimable lamp assembly with memory is the “I.D.” or “Intelligent Downlight” family of accent lights sold by Focal Point L.L.C. of Chicago, Ill., for use with halogen and ceramic metal halide (CMH) lamps. The lamp assembly in these lights can be partially pulled from its housing for relamping. A memory feature returns the lamp holder and reflector to its inclined position when the lamp assembly is pushed back into its housing. A hot aiming mechanism is operated by turning adjustment screws in a circular flange which encompasses the aperture under the trim plate of the fixture. A shortcoming is that the external trim plate must be removed for access to the aiming adjustment screws. Also, the I.D. family of fixtures requires a five inch diameter cutout in the ceiling or other architectural surface.
A need exists for smaller adjustable accent lights with hot aiming and memory features, requiring, for example, a cutout of only 3.5 inch diameter, and capable of accommodating metal halide light sources as well as halogen lamps.